For a few brief hours on Wednesday, Santa Claus was canceled, scratched from the Christmas eve fire truck parade in Roosevelt, New Jersey.
It was the fallout from a controversy on a town vote last week to improve a small, aging firehouse heavily damaged by Hurricane Sandy three years ago.
The bond referendum lost on a tie vote. Opponents argued upgrading the town's water system was a higher priority and that they didn't trust the fire department and town council to make the improvements to the firehouse.
A few days later, one of the town's three fire trucks passed the home of a well-known opponent blaring its siren.
"One resident filed a complaint which tells you people are annoyed," said Mayor-elect Jeff Ellentuck.
That led to a backlash in the already divided town, and by Wednesday the volunteer fire department posted on Facebook that it was canceling it's Christmas eve parade with Santa.
Soon, supporters were responding to the post saying that Santa had to make his run, and after a few hours the fire department reposted and said the parade would go ahead but the sirens would be silent.
Instead, Christmas music is being played from the speakers to draw children out of their homes to see Santa as he is escorted out of town and on the way to the North Pole.
